Galveston celebrates Juneteenth with a historic reading of General Order No. 3 at Ashton Villa.
GALVESTON, Texas —
Juneteenth celebrations kicked off Wednesday morning in Galveston with a moving tribute at Ashton Villa, where a crowd gathered for the annual reading of General Order No. 3 — the historic military directive that brought news of freedom to enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865.
The ceremony marks the beginning of a day of remembrance, reflection, and celebration across the region. Originally read by Union General Gordon Granger, General Order No. 3 informed enslaved African Americans in Galveston that they were free — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Reenacting the reading has become a yearly tradition in Galveston, commemorating a vital moment in U.S. history. For nearly three decades, residents and visitors have gathered at Ashton Villa to pay tribute to that day.
“The main focus is that as we look at U.S. history, we need to look at the entire history,” said Tommie D. Boureaux, historian for the African American Heritage Committee.
The event drew a large crowd, filling the room with people there to honor Juneteenth’s legacy and reflect on its meaning. The reenactment serves not only as a remembrance of freedom delayed, but as a call to acknowledge the full scope of America’s past.
Former President Joe Biden was expected to attend another Galveston ceremony: the march and Emancipation Service at Reedy Church.
General Order No. 3 reads:
Galveston Texas June 19th 1865.
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.
The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.
By order of Major General Granger
F.W. Emery
Major A.A. Genl.